After becoming the leader of Russia, a country which was struggling, Stalin stated that Russia ‘was 50 to 100 years behind advanced countries’ Stalin knew that he had to modernise Russia and fast, or they may face the reality of ‘being crushed by his opponents.’ To make up the vast difference between the agrarian countries he had, and the superpower he dreamt about. Stalin decided to use every method available to him, often these methods would include force and destruction, however he found this necessary in order to make Russia a superpower. He needed improve the agricultural system, rapidly increase Russia’s industry and change the soviet people’s social and political ways of life. Despite the pain which Stalin put the Russian people through, it was acceptable as if not for the vast changes which Stalin put into place Russia would have been destroyed by its enemies.
Stalin modernized Russia’s agricultural status by employing methods of collectivisation. However this came at the price of dekulakisation and famine which cost Stalin and Russia an exorbitant cost. Firstly, Stalin realized that despite the fact there was 25 million farms in Russia, Stalin knew as he said in 1928 that they were “primitive and undeveloped”. He realized that he needed to use the public to not only feed themselves, but the rest of his growing nation, and to this end decided in 1928 to collectivize the farms of Russia; This resulted in many positive impacts to the citizens and status of Russia. In 1930, already 50% of the country’s farms had been collectivized, and at this time Russia’s opposing nations even admitted that Russia’s success was substantial. The collectives were successful on paper, with grain collections rising from just under 11 million tons in 1928 to over 31 million tons by 1938. This positive was clear, but it came at a massive price, which